Smoker&#39;s mouthpiece



May 11,- 1937.

c. w. HARRISON 2,079,961

SMOKER S MOUTHPIEC E Filed Jan. 16, 1936 INVENTOR 57e2/% W17arrziswa I jaz 3:

/ ATTORNEYS Patented May 11, 1937 UNITED STAT ES hATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

Most smokers, and many who do not smoke,

have been annoyed: perhaps disgusted; with liquid accumulations in pipes. Many attempts have been made to overcome this objectionable concomitant to the pleasures of smoking. The devices proposed for this purpose'have been of two-generaltypes, one to prevent theingress' of saliva from the smokers mouth, the original cause of the liquid'accumulation, and the other toprovide some form of trap for such accumulations within the pipe. Devices of the secondtype do notgo to the root of the diiilculty, they are far from certain in .op'eration'and they inevitably involve periodic cleaning, an extremely unpleasant operation. Devices of the first type have not been satisfactory largely because of the extremely small compass within which such devices must function but also because some vital part of the device has usually been exposedto rapid destruction by the smokers teeth.

My invention provides a device which eiiectively and dependably prevents-ingressof saliva, a device which subjects the smokerto no inconvenience or discomfort and which, in use, is well protected against "damageby the smoker s mouth or teeth. The device ofmy'invention is simple" and inexpensive. Itis useful alike with mouthpieces -ior pipes, for cigarettes and cigar holders and the like.

In oneparticularly advantageous aspect, the dry mouthpiece device of my invention consists essentially of a pair of flexible flaps joined to each other and to a common memberadapted to be received centrally within the opening of the conventional slotted mouthpiecethereby to secure these flaps across-the face of the mouthpiece and over'theportions-of the opening through the mouthpiece on each side of the member'ior securing the flaps to the mouthpiece. These flaps are with advantage tensioned'toward the projecting portion of the member for securing the flaps to the mouthpiece. The'entire device is with advantage formed as asingle piece of an elastic composition, a vulcanized rubber composition for example, and when so formed this tensioning of the flaps toward the projecting member can be effected by molding the flaps so that they are inclined toward this member. The flaps are proportioned to cover the face of the mouthpiece without projecting beyond its boundaries.

The accompanying drawing illustrates two embodiments of the device of my invention and its application in connection with a smokers mouthpiece. A conventional smokers mouthpiece is illustrated in each of Figures 1 and 6, Fig. 6 in- (Cl; rat-10 cluding the device of my invention properly positioned and proportioned with respect to the mouthpiece. is illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and' l, each of these views being normal to each of the others and another embodiment of my invention, illustrating the tensioning of the flaps, is illustratedin Fig. 5. Fig. '7 is a longitudinal sectional view on line 1-5 of Fig. 6. Figs. 8 and 9 are perspective views of further modifications of the invention. Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view through a modified form of the invention. Fig. 11" is a longitudinal sectional view on line HH of Fig. '7.

Referring to the drawing, the conventional smokers mouthpiece consists of a tubular memher i flattened at one end, this end being provided with projections 8 and 9 to enable the smoker to retain the mouthpiece by means of his teeth, the passage through the tubular portion terminating in a slot Hl opening through the face H at the flattened end of the tubular portion. Referring more particularly to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the device of my invention comprises a pair of flaps l2 and I3 joined to each other and to a common member M adapted to be received centrally within the slot It. The member H1 is so proportioned that it leaves openings through the slot [0 on either side when positioned therein but so that it secures the flaps l2 and I3 across the face H of the mouthpiece and over these openings on each side of the member [4 through its contact with the walls across the smaller dimension of the slot ill when inserted therein. When affixed to the mouthpiece, the flaps l2 and I3 on the device of my invention effectively and dependably operate as check valves to prevent any flow from the mouth of the smoker into the mouthpiece but to permit the smoker to draw through the mouthpiece. The flaps l2 and [3, when molded of a vulcanized rubber composition for example, can be made so light as to offer no noticeable resistance to flow from the mouthpiece into the smokers mouth without detriment to their functioning to prevent any flow in the reverse direction. By molding the flaps l2 and l3 with an inclination toward the projecting member M, as illustrated in Fig. 5 for example, the flaps can be tensioned toward this projecting member l4 and thus, when secured to the mouthpiece, against the face of the mouthpiece to assist in maintaining a tight closure of the mouthpiece against the ingress of saliva. The flaps l2 and 13 are proportioned, as illustrated, to coincide, approximately, with the face of the mouthpiece in area and contour. The flaps I2 and I3 should be One embodiment of my invention somewhat smaller than the face of the mouthpiece rather than somewhat larger.

It will be apparent that the member for securing the flaps across the face of the mouthpiece 5 may take a variety of forms. For example, it may be of any resilient material dimensioned to flt tightly across the slot through the mouthpiece but to leave openings at the end of the slot, or it may be of metal, for example, with a dimen- 10 sion across the slot very little greater than that of the slot prior to insertion of this member and thus to be secured by the resilience of the mouthpiece, or it may take the form of a screw l5, Fig. 8, just large enough to engage the opposite sides 15 of the slot across its smaller dimension or of a pair of metal tongues, or flat springs I 6, Fig. 9, adapted to engage the opposite sides of the slot across its smaller dimension. The flaps may be of any flexible material adapted to resist smoke 20 flowing through the mouthpiece and saliva in the smokers mouth. Conventional vulcanized rubber compositions are entirely satisfactory. The

pair of flaps are with advantage formed as a single piece whether or not the flaps and the projecting member are formed as a single piece.

In anotheraspect, my invention comprises, as

a combination, a pair of flexible flaps joined to each other and, centrally, to the face of a conventional mouthpiece so as to cover but to be free to flex away from openings through the face of the mouthpiece on each side of the junction between the face of the mouthpiece and the pair of flaps, the flaps covering the face of the mouthpiece without projecting beyond its boundaries and, advantageously, being tensioned toward the face of the mouthpiece. This combination can be fabricated by the application of devices embodying my invention, devices such as those previously described, to the conventional 40 mouthpiece, or, when the proper facilities are available, by otherwise joining the pair of flaps to the face of the mouthpiece, for example by a wire staple bridging the slot and entering small holes in the face of the mouthpiece on each side of the slot or by cementing, or vulcanizing, the central portion of the pair of flaps to the center of the face of the mouthpiece. When the combination is prefabricated, the mouthpiece can also be modified, for example by providing sep- 50 arate slots or apertures through each end of the face of the mouthpiece instead of a single slot across the face of the mouthpiece, as shown in Fig. 10, particularly when the pair of flaps l9 and 20 is to be cemented, or vulcanized, to

55 the center of the face of the mouthpiece.

It will be noted that the application of the device of my invention to the conventional mouthpiece does not change the shape of the conventional mouthpiece in any respect and, in

6 dimension, changes it only by a very small projection of the face of the mouthpiece. In mouthpieces intended for use in conjunction with the device of my invention, this can be compensated for by a corresponding change in the position of the projections corresponding to those designated 8 and 9 in the drawing, but I have found any such change to be entirely unnecessary. It Will also be noted that, in application of the device of my invention, no part of the device extends over or around any part of the mouthpiece normally contacting with the lips or teeth of the smoker.

I claim:

1. A dry mouthpiece device for smokers consisting of a pair of flexible flaps joined to each other and to a common member adapted to be received centrally within the opening of the conventional slotted mouthpiece thereby to secure said flaps across the face of the mouthpiece and over the portions of said opening on each side of said member.

2. A dry mouthpiece device for smokers consisting of a pair of flexible flaps joined to each other and to a common member adapted to be received centrally Within the opening of the conventional slotted mouthpiece thereby to secure said flaps across the face of the mouthpiece and' over the portions of said opening on each side of said member, said flaps being tensioned toward the projecting portion of said member.

3. A dry mouthpiece device for smokers consisting of a pair of flexible flaps joined to each other and to a common member adapted to be received centrally within the opening of the conventional slotted mouthpiece thereby to secure said flaps across the face of the mouthpiece and over the portions of said opening on each side of said member, said flaps and said member being formed as a single piece of an elastic composition.

4. A dry mouthpiece device for smokers consisting of a pair of flexible flaps joined to each other and to a common member adapted to be received centrally Within the opening of the conventional slotted mouthpiece thereby to secure said flaps across the face of the mouthpiece and over the portions of said opening on each side of said member, said flaps being tensioned toward the projecting portion of said member, and said flaps and said member being formed as a single piece of an elastic composition.

5. A dry mouthpiece device for smokers consisting of a pair of flexible flaps joined to each other and, centrally, to the face of a mouthpiece so as to cover but to be free to flex away from openings through the face of the mouthpiece on each side of the junction between the face of the mouthpiece and the pair of flaps.

6. A dry mouthpiece device for smokers consisting of a pair of flexible flaps joined to each other and, centrally, to the face of a mouthpiece so as to cover but to be free to flex away from openings through the face of the mouthpiece on each side of the junction between the face of the mouthpiece and the pair of flaps, said flaps being tensioned toward the face of the mouthpiece.

CLARK WAY HARRISON. 

